Marble-shooter.



W. F. SWEET.

MARBLE SHOOTER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1910.

1,01 1,665. Patentd Dec. 12, 1911.

WITNESSES INVENTOE 9r Waco/-45. F3 SWEET cOLL'MBM m. 00mm! 110.. WASHINGTON D. c.

WELCOME F. SWEET, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

MARBLE-SHOOTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

Application filed March 29, 1910. Serial No. 552,165.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVELooMn F. SWEET, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Marble-Shooters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a marble shooter of my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken longitudinally through the center of the form of marble shooter seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the marble shooter. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken longitudinally through the center of a modified form of a marble shooter. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a further modified form of the marble shooter.

My invention relates to a toy or plaything in the form of a device particularly adapted for shooting marbles or small objects, such as pebbles, dried beans, peas or the like, and my present invention is an improvement on a similar device shown and described in an application for patent filed by me February 19, 1910, Serial No. 544,766.

In the form of device shown in the above mentioned application the propelling spring is held in set position by pressure of the thumb, but in the present construction I propose to provide means whereby the spring may be set and held without any pressure of the thumb or finger, and said spring being released by the finger, thus simulating the act of pulling the trigger of a fire arm. By providing means for setting and holding the spring the marble or other object shot or propelled by the toy can be readily placed in position in the holder without danger of the spring slipping before the object is in proper position.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain features of novelty hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings 1 designates the holder of the device, which is preferably constructed of sheet metal bent into the form of a trough, and formed integral with one end of this holder is a curved handle 2 formed of a flat strip of metal, and having its edges bent upward as designated by 3 to form reinforcing ribs and to provide means whereby itlhe Cflllandle may be readily gripped in the Formed through the material forming the holder and the handle at the point where the same unite is an aperture 4, and formed in the trough immediately in frontof this aperture is a depression or pocket 5 in which the object to be shot or propelled is located.

The propelling member of my improved toy is preferably constructed of a single piece of resilient metal, a portion 6 of which lies flat upon the handle 2, and the ends of the upwardly bent edge 3 of said handle are bent downward on top of the end of the spring as designated by 7 in order to rigidly fix said spring to the body of the toy. The forward portion of the resilient member is bent into inverted U-shape as designated by 8, thus providing a leg 9 which is adapted to swing over the trough 1, and the end of this leg 9 is bent laterally at right angles to the plane occupied by said leg 9 as designated by 10. When the spring is set for use the lower end of the leg 9 is swung rearward and at the same time is forced downward so that the laterally bent end 10 of said leg passes through the aperture 4 as shown in Fig. 1, and the power stored in the inverted U-shaped portion of the spring will cause the lower end of the leg 9 to bear against the front edge of the opening 4, thus holding the spring in its set position. The member or object to be shot or propelled is now located in the depression or pocket 5 and to release the spring and shoot or propel the marble or other object from the trough it is only necessary to exert an upward pressure against the laterally bent end 10 of the leg 9, thus releasing the spring and permitting the leg to swing forward, and thus suddenly propel or shoot the marble or other object from the holder.

In the modified form of the device seen in Fig. 4, the spring is provided at its central portion with a U-shaped bend 11, which extends through openings 12 formed in the curved handle 2,.and this U-shaped bend is engaged and pressed upward by the finger to release the free end of the leg 8 from, its set position (see dotted line Fig. 4).

In Fig. 5 a further modified form 1s illustrated a bent wire spring 13 is used in place of a flat spring, said bent wire spring be n provided with coils 14 at its center, and wit a coil 15 at the lower end of the vertical leg, and which last mentioned coil is adapted to engage through the opening 4 and be re leased by upward pressure of the finger.

A marble shooter of my improved construotion is very simple, can be cheaply manufactured, provides an interesting and amusing toy or plaything for children and the propelling spring can be set and released, thus simulating the cooking and pulling the trigger of a fire arm.

I claim:

A device of the class described, comprising a shallow trough-shaped holder, a curved handle projecting from one end thereof, there being an opening formed through the rear portion of the holder and which holder is provided with a depression immediately in front of said opening a propelling spring fixed at one end to the handle and the free forward end of which spring is bent laterally and adapted to engage through the opening when in a set position and to be released from said position by an upward pressure of the finger against said laterally bent end and the free end of which spring, when released, moves entirely through the trough shaped holder.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 15th day of March, 1910.

VVELGOME F. SXVEET.

VVitness es:

M. P. SMITH, B. S. REID.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

